NYC rental apartment amenities can turn an ordinary home into your dream home, so it's a good idea to think about what you need, what you desire, and what you can live without.

For example: laundry facilities.

Some luxury NYC apartment rentals come with a washer and dryer in each unit, and others have a small laundry room on each floor. A more common apartment amenity in this category is the communal laundry room, available for all the building's residents, usually located in the basement. Of course, for people who would prefer to pay someone else to wash their clothes, having a laundromat right nearby that does laundry by the pound is an even better apartment amenity.  

Renal apartment amenities that have become standard in contemporary, luxury residential tower, both in the apartment itself and within the building as a whole include residents-only gyms, pools and fitness centers; on-site valet and concierge services; 24-hour attended parking garages; roof decks, party rooms, and in-building play-spaces; gourmet kitchens fully loaded with all appliances, including dishwasher, microwave, and, sometimes, even high-end espresso makers; oversized soundproofed windows; convenient,  street-level bicycle storage rooms; marble bathrooms and high-powered showers; individual terraces or balconies; the list goes on and on.

To avoid potential pitfalls when searching for an apartment in NYC, it's a good idea to arrive to apartment showings early and scout out the block for possible late-night or early-morning noise makers:

• Is there a bar or nightclub right nearby?

• Is there a fire station on the block or around the corner?

• A large supermarket that might receive big, early-morning deliveries?

These can be noisy if your apartment faces the street.

If you have children, make sure you confirm with the Board of Education which public school is in the catchment area for your specific address.

The state of the building's common areas—the lobby, stairwells, elevator, hallways, and the building's exterior, including the sidewalk and/or courtyards--is usually a good indicator as to the effectiveness and responsiveness of the building's superintendent, whether he or she lives on premises or not, as well as the building manager's commitment to maintaining their property.

You should presume that the interior of the rental apartment itself is reasonably clean and in good repair; they had time and motivation to get it into shape before showing. The common areas, however, sometimes more accurately reflect what you can expect from day-to-day life in the building.